The Power of Love
by Saya-n-Haji4ever
Summary: 'She's fighting to stay alive, and she's losing that battle' Gibbs thought to himself. UPDATED! Please R&R or I will have no reason to continue the story. Thanks.
1. Author's Note

Author's Note: So after much thinking, and typing and deleting, I've decided to make a few,….or more like a lot of changes to the story. I liked the other idea, but got stuck after a few chapters. But who knows, I might upload both endings and see which one is better liked. But for now, since I haven't had much time to continue, here are the first few chapters. Some of them have stayed the same, or practically the same and others are completely different. Anyway, enjoy people. And you know what to do, read and review because if you don't then there's pretty much to point in me continuing the story. Thanks a lot! Love you guys!


	2. A Not So Typical Day

It was a normal day at NCIS. Tony and Ziva were arguing for no apparent reason, McGee was dragged into the argument, and Gibbs was trying to shut them up.

Down at autopsy, Ducky was telling some of his interesting anecdotes to Palmer, and as usual, he was very interested in them.

At the lab, Abby was listening to her typical rock music full blast. It was a normal day at NCIS, but not for long.

**At the Squad room**

"Oh come on Tony, you will hit on any breathing woman, no matter what she looks like," Ziva argued with Tony.

"We already went over this Zee-va, I have standards. I won't go out with just anyone. She has to have great legs, beautiful lips, and not to mention big-"

"Dinozzo!" Exclaimed Gibbs.

"I was going to say eyes … shutting up boss."

Suddenly, Gibbs' cell-phone rang.

"Yeah Abs.…Abs….Abs!"

All three of the agents began to worry.

Within seconds Gibbs hung up his cell-phone and rushed to Abby's lab.

"What's going on boss?" McGee asked worriedly.

Gibbs didn't offer a response, but everyone could tell he was worried and they were about to find out why.

They arrived at Abby's lab, and were astonished to find out what was before their eyes. It was a bleeding Abby.


	3. Don't Leave Me

"Oh God. Abby!" Gibbs rushed to her limb form. "Tony, call an Ambulance! Ziva, get Ducky! McGee, lockdown now! Whoever did this could still be in the building!"

They immediately did as they were told. On his way out of the lab, McGee couldn't help but stare at his bleeding friend.

She had apparently received two gunshot wounds to the abdomen and was covered in blood. Her white lab coat was now crimson red, and her already pale face, was now a ghostly white. Her eyes were losing its focus. She needed to go to the hospital now.

Gibbs took off his coat and used it to put pressure on her wounds, not caring that it would get ruined. He had to stop, or simply slow the bleeding; blood was beginning to pool underneath her.

"Abby! Abby! Look at me!" Gibbs pleaded. She tried to focus her eyes on his, but the pain forbid her from doing so.

"G-i-i-i-bbs…i-i-it…..h-h-hu-u-r-r-t-ts," Abby managed to breath out.

"I know, Abs, but you have to be strong. Alright? You need to stay awake ok? Just stay awake."

He said those words too late because Abby was slowly slipping into unconsciousness.

"Abby! ABBY! Stay awake!" He slowly shook her.

There was no response. He shook her again.

"ABBY! Come on wake up!"

No response.

"Ducky? Ducky? Where are you?"

"I'm here. I'm here. Oh my dear Abigail!" Ducky arrived along with Ziva and Palmer.

Ducky took a quick look at Abby and already knew that she was in serious trouble. He took her pulse and unfortunately, he didn't find one. He performed CPR.

"Abigail? Abigail? Open your eyes," Ducky pleaded her.

Her eyes remained closed. He performed CPR once again hoping that Abby would come to.

"Abby? Come on, don't leave us!" Gibbs pleaded.

Fortunately, Abby began breathing again, shallow, but breathing. He placed an oxygen mask on her that Palmer had brought.

"The ambulance is on its way, okay. Just stay awake Abby, just stay awake, just look at me, Abby!" Gibbs pleaded.

She did as she was told. She looked into Gibbs eyes and Gibbs did the same. But he regretted it. As he looked into her eyes, all he could see was pain and sadness. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Where's that damn ambulance?" Gibbs yelled breaking eye contact.

"Calm down Jethro. I'm sure it won't take long for the ambulance to arrive," Ducky tried to calm his dear friend.

"I know that Ducky, but the longer it takes, the more blood she loses, and she could-"he didn't dare finish that sentence.

"She won't die Jethro. She won't leave us. She won't leave you."

After a couple of minutes, the sirens were heard. Minutes passed, though it seemed like hours before the paramedics arrived at her lab.

"Over here," Tony guided the paramedics.

The paramedics hurried to Abby's semi-conscious form and did what they had to do. They checked her vitals and put her on the stretcher. She was put in the ambulance. Gibbs wanted to go with her in the ambulance and everyone knew that there was no force in the world that would prohibit him from doing so. The three agents wanted to follow the ambulance, but they knew that they were of better help trying to figure out who shot Abby.

The ride to the hospital seemed eternal. He had almost lost Abby two times on the way there. Two times. Two more than it should have been. She wasn't supposed to get hurt, _at all_. He tried so hard to protect her so she would die like this. No, this was unacceptable. She couldn't die. She can't die. She won't die.

Gibbs just stared at her. Abby's face was so pale. It frightened him to see her like this, to see her _dying. _

He was interrupted by a continuous *beeping* sound. He looked at the monitor and saw what he was afraid of, a solid straight line.

"She's crashing!" one of the paramedics said, "We need to restart her heart."

That is all Gibbs heard. He was too busy looking at her, pleading her with his eyes not to leave him. But she was. She was leaving him. –No. This cannot end this way. She cannot die. –No.

"Abby! ABBY! Please don't leave us! You are not allowed to die, and that's an order. You can't disobey an order! Please Abby! Please!" Gibbs pleaded with all his heart for his favorite forensic scientist not to leave him.

"Keep calling her. She's responding," the other paramedic told him.

"Abby! Abby, please! We need you! I need you!"

His words were heard, because right then, the monitor began beeping again, slowly, but beeping. She had a harder time breathing, but was breathing. She did much more than that. She opened her eyes.

"Abby. It's me Gibbs."

She couldn't focus her eyes on him and after looking around the ambulance; her eyes were finally fixed on him. She looked into his eyes once again and he did the same.

He could still see pain, but no sadness, he saw love.

"Everything is going to be okay Abby. We're almost at Bethesda. Don't worry."

Abby tried to tell him something, but the breathing mask forbid her from doing so. She tried to take it off, but Gibbs didn't let her.

"Calm down Abby. This is to help you breathe."

He saw her efforts to try and speak, but besides having the breathing mask, she was far too weak to speak. Instead, she lifted her arm slowly and signed something unmistaken by Gibbs. She signed '_I love you.'_

"I love you too Abs."

They arrived at the hospital, and immediately rushed her inside.

'_She's lost a lot of blood._'

'_We lost her three times.'_

_ 'She is in serious trouble.'_

Those were a few of the statements that Gibbs heard in the background, but he was too preoccupied in knowing if Abby was going to be okay.

'_She's fighting to stay alive, and she's losing that battle'_ Gibbs thought to himself.


	4. A Frightening Sight

Hours passed by and still no word from the doctors regarding Abby's well-being. That worried Gibbs. He tried to calm down and take a deep breath, but somehow, he just couldn't.

McGee called him to find out if he had any news about Abby, but he gave him a solid no. He did demand to know if they had captured the son-of-a-bitch that did this to Abby. He just said he'd meet him at the hospital later on.

He wanted coffee, but was afraid that if he left, the doctors would come and tell him news about Abby. He didn't want to risk that.

After about thirty minutes, the doctor came out, Dr. Watson, and Gibbs immediately asked about Abby's well-being.

The doctor hesitated, never a good sign," Well, Ms. Sciuto is a strong woman, I'll give you that. We had to restart her heart twice in the OR, but she stabilized soon after. I did remove both bullets, but one of them punctured her lung, and did some pretty bad damage. She cannot breath on her own so we have her on a ventilator. She lost a lot of blood though, which is our primary concern now aside from the punctured lung. . That, and the fact that she's in a coma. I'm sorry sir; there's nothing we can do but wait until she wakes up, if she wakes up."

The news struck him like lightning, but it was the last statement that got to him.

-_if she wakes up._

"Can I see her," he asked.

"Of course. Right this way." He directed him to Abby's room.

He was outside her room, uncertain on whether to open the door or not, afraid of what might be in store for him. After about a minute of calming himself down, he opened the door.

He entered the room, and the first thing he saw was an unusually pale Abby. It was frightening to see her like this, hooked up to so many tubes: the most notable and most important one being the tube down her throat, helping her breath, keeping her alive. After taking in the sight, he noticed the slow, steady beeping sound coming from the heart monitor. He realized that it was that slow beeping sound that assured him Abby was alive. It was a terrifying thought.


	5. ConfessionsGibbs

Gibbs took in everything in the room, before heading towards Abby's bed. He got a chair and put it next to her bed, then sat down.

"Oh Abby," he caressed her hair," you weren't supposed to get hurt. You're supposed to be safe in your lab, not here." The last words could barely be heard, a knot formed in his throat.

Gibbs couldn't believe how hard it was for him to talk to Abby. He has lost a lot of people close to him, including his wife and daughter, yet with Abby, it was different. It was difficult, but he had to admit that Abby being in the hospital got to him way harder than any death, but why?

"Abby please wake up. I know you can hear me. I can't lose you, Abby. I need you," Gibbs pleaded. He knew she had heard him, but it didn't seem like she did.

When he saw that Abby wasn't waking up, he spent the rest of the time looking at Abby, caressing her hair and her face. He just couldn't lose Abby. She has been like a daughter to him all these years, found it hard to let go. He drifted into his own thoughts, but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

He turned to see McGee approaching him. He stood next to him.

"How is she?" he asked him.

"She's in a coma. The doctor said she'd lost a lot of blood, and that she's not breathing on her own, as you can see."

"She'll be ok, right boss? I mean, will she get through this?" McGee asked.

"She's strong McGee, let's just hope she's strong enough."


	6. The Name Is Revealed

McGee stared at Abby for awhile, surprised to see her like this. Then he realized that Gibbs was awaiting some answers.

"Boss, umm, we…we….;"

"Today, McGee."

"We…caught the guy…that shot Abby."

Gibbs immediately stood up, facing McGee. Anger could be seen in his eyes.

"Who was it?" he asked angry.

"The name is Jaime Martinez. He's Raul Martinez' cousin. The guy we sent to prison for killing Petty Officer Jehnsen. Jaime thinks he shouldn't have gone to jail and decided to take revenge, and thought the best revenge was to kill the forensic scientist that proved his cousin as the killer."

Gibbs was more than just angry. This person tried to kill Abby because she did the forensics for this case, the thing she loves the most.

"Where is he now?"

"He's still at NCIS. I wanted to tell you before we send him to prison."

"Nice thinking McGee."

He stood up and went to kiss Abby on her forehead, then turned to McGee,"Stay with Abby, call me if there's any change. I want to talk to this bastard myself."

"Yes boss."

With that he left. McGee knew that Jaime Martinez was in serious trouble.


	7. ConfessionsMcGee

Gibbs was angry, and had a damn good reason for it. He'd just found out that Jaime Martinez, someone related to a suspect they sent to prison, was the one that tried to kill Abby as a form of revenge. Gibbs decided to talk to this son-of-a-bitch himself, while McGee stayed with Abby. Like Gibbs, he sat next to Abby, and stroked her hand closest to him. He found it hard to believe that Abby was in the hospital, in a coma. She seemed so peaceful, like she was sleeping. Wait, she is sleeping. He had to confess that he missed seeing those gorgeous green eyes full of life that always made him smile every time she saw them.

"Hey Abby," he nearly whispered," You need to get better. You need to come back to NCIS. I'm sure your babies miss you, and you must miss them as well. Come on, Abby, you need to wake up, the team needs you, I need you. Come on." He pleaded. He wanted to shake her and wake her up, but he knew that's not how it worked, "Abby, don't give up. There's so many things we still need to do," he thought for a second. Did he just say we? Who was he kidding, he loved Abby, always has and always will, and he had to let her know. He just wanted her to wake up so he could tell her how much he loved her.

How could he have been so stupid? All this time he'd known Abby, all those opportunities he had, to tell her he loved her, and he just let them go. And now, there was a chance that she would never know he loved her. A single tear rolled down his cheek.


End file.
